


Just for one night

by FullMoonFlight



Series: 2k16 writing challenge [6]
Category: The 100 (TV)
Genre: Comfort, F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-02-26
Updated: 2016-02-26
Packaged: 2018-05-23 09:08:53
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,520
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6111742
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/FullMoonFlight/pseuds/FullMoonFlight
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>For anon who requested "the first time kane and abby share a bed, because she shows up at his door after having a nightmare. like rly fluffy and him being comforting."</p>
            </blockquote>





	Just for one night

**Author's Note:**

> This is set sometime between season 2 and 3. It's not as fluffy as anon was hoping, but I think it turned out alright. It's my first time writing these two, which was super fun.

It had been yet another long day in a month of long days and all Marcus wanted to do was to collapse on his bed and sleep for as long as he could. He had been up at dawn to meet with some of Indra’s soldiers, after which he spent the day training with the new guards before having to go on patrol to cover for Nathan Miller who had managed to twist his ankle earlier that day. By the time Marcus got back to Arkadia the sky was already starting to brighten with the rising sun and he was dead on his feet.

Exhausted, he stops for a second to rest, leaning against the grey walls of what was left of the Ark and closed his eyes. He’d had his fair share of sleepless nights on the Ark, balancing guard duties and the council, but nothing like this. Building a civilisation from ruins wasn’t easy at the best of circumstances and navigating the politics of earth and their new neighbours was a full time job in itself.

He hadn’t paid much attention to where he was going, but a muted cry makes him open his eyes and take in his surroundings. He is not far from his quarters he realizes, he only has to walk to the end of the corridor and take a right and he could finally get some sleep. But that means that the wall he is leaning against is attached to the Chancellor’s rooms and that the soft cries he can still hear are coming from Abby. He pulls himself away from the wall and knocks briskly on her door.

“Abby?” He speaks firmly but quietly, trying to keep the noise down so he wouldn’t disturb the neighbouring rooms. “Are you alright?” There is no answer aside from her continued whimpering, not that he expected one, so he puts his hand on the door handle and pulls it open, not at all surprised that the door is unlocked despite the many times he had told her she needs to lock it. Marcus quickly stepped into the room and closed the door softly behind him, making sure to lock it this time.

“Abby?” He repeats, a little louder now behind the closed door. As his eyes adjust to the darkness he can see her figure on the bed, thrashing about and whimpering and moaning in distress. He hurries over to her, kneeling beside her and bringing a hand to her shoulder to nudge her awake.

“Abby, Abby, it’s okay,” Marcus had never been good at comforting people and it feels more as though he is just repeating nonsense but it appears to work as Abby wakes up with a gasp. He moves his hand off her shoulder, but she catches his wrist before he can remove it entirely. This close he can see the tears running down her face and the confusion in her eyes. Judging by the state of her, she probably hadn’t even realized she had grabbed his arm and most likely wasn’t aware of her fingers running softly down his arm before intertwining them with his, subconsciously seeking out the comfort of his touch.

“Marcus?” she brushes some of the tears off her face with her free hand and blinks in confusion.

“You were having a nightmare,” he explains, feeling a little foolish for bursting into her room but not bothering to explore the feeling further.

Sitting like this feels intimate in a way they usually were not, crouching there on her bedroom floor with her hand in his and staring into her tear streaked face. He knows he should move, it feels a little like he was taking advantage of her somehow. He had always admired her on the Ark, despite their clashes and their time on the ground at only made him appreciate her more. They had become good friends since the crash, becoming each other’s staunchest supporter and close confidants as they struggled to adapt to life on the ground while leading their people, but he had always made sure to keep some distance, to not get too close. His feelings for her are his own problem and while he refuses to burden her with them, he makes sure to keep their friendship as professional as possible. He won’t let her get to close, not when she was reaching out in friendship and he wanted more.

“Clarke?” he asks once he sees the confusion in her eyes clear as she becomes more alert and aware of her surroundings.

“No actually,” she replies quietly, her voice hoarse from her uneasy sleep, and rubs her forehead in agitation. “Jake.”

Her resigned confession sends a burst of shame and guilt up his spine and for a moment it feels as though he had been punched in the gut. It reminds him of their time on the Ark. They had clashed more often than not during their tenure as council members and had more arguments than any one person could count, but there was one that still haunted him. It was less than six months ago but it felt like a lifetime. He had been stubborn and put too much faith in their laws and had sentenced her to death. He had truly believed he was doing the right thing then, the fool, but Abby, fierce, brilliant Abby, told him she broke the law because wanted to make sure the human race deserved to live. She had hit a nerve then, though she probably hadn’t realised it. Marcus knew what she thought of him back on the Ark, an unfeeling robot, but the thought had plagued him ever since. Would they ever make up for the sins they had committed in the name of survival? Out of all the deaths he had been complicit in, Jake’s was among the hardest to live with. They had been friends after all, year ago. Before they all started advancing in their careers. Before he was elected on to the council.

“It wasn’t your fault,” he whispers, shame and regret making it hard to speak. Abby had trusted her fellow council members and they rewarded her by executing her husband and imprisoning her daughter. They had all liked Jake, everyone did, and yet none of them tried to save his life. _He_ hadn’t tried, had seen no reason why Jake shouldn’t die and for what? Believing in their people.

“Wasn’t it?” She asks quietly. There’s no accusation in her voice, just regret and grief.

“No.” He can’t bring himself to articulate the words floating around in his head, _it was mine_ , but she sees them in his face anyway.

 “Sometimes I forget,” Abby stops and licks her lips before continuing, looking down on their joined hands rather than facing Marcus. “Everything, Jake… it feels like years ago.”

“It does,” he nods. Years, a lifetime even. Sometime he looks up at the sky and has a hard time believing they were ever up there.

“He would have liked the ground,” Abby smiles sadly.

“He would have sorted out this trading agreement within hours,” Marcus admits. “He always had a way with people.” She smiles at that and nods her agreement. They sit there in silence for a moment, but Marcus’ knees aren’t what they used to and kneeling on the metal floor for so long is starting to have its effect.

“I should go,” he breaks the silence and pulls his hand from her grip with regret. His knees pop as he pulls himself up and he turns towards the door.

“Wait, Marcus,” she reaches out to grab a hold of his arm again to stop him, but lets go as soon as he turns to face her again. “Will you stay?” she adds hesitantly. He can see the vulnerability in her eyes, knows she is still shaken not just from the dream, but everything else that has happened in the past few months. He nods slowly, he knows he probably shouldn’t but can’t bring himself to say no to her. Not when she looks at him like this, red-rimmed eyes wide and looking up at him sadly.

She scoots over towards the wall, making room for him as he takes off his boots and jacket, leaving it folded in half on the floor before sliding into bed next to her. He is tense, waiting for her to set the boundaries and doesn’t know what to do with himself. Abby smiles softly and surprises him by snuggling up to him, laying her head on his arm and throwing her arm over his chest. She falls back asleep almost immediately, tear stains still on her cheeks but her face is relaxed now, almost smiling.

He knows he could get used to this, addicted even, falling asleep with her in his arms every night but doubts she would ever let him. It feels good and he is glad that she trusts him this much, even if it’s just for one night. He tries to stay awake, treasuring the moment, but the exhaustion wins over quickly, lulling him into sleep within minutes.

**Author's Note:**

> I'm fullmoonflight on tumblr, come talk to me!


End file.
